NAB Board Asks Nielsen to Delay Deployment of Local People Meters in New York

April 2, 2004

NAB's Television Board of Directors today urged Nielsen Media Research to delay implementation of Local People Meter service in New York, currently scheduled to launch April 8, 2004.

The Television Board said in a statement: "We believe it is Nielsen's responsibility to fully address the concerns of its broadcast clients, and all media buyers and sellers, before implementing such a fundamental change to the industry currency. Many broadcasters have serious concerns about the representativeness of the Local People Meter sample in New York, and we urge Nielsen to take all steps necessary to ensure that this service accurately reflects the household and demographic characteristics of the market population before discontinuing the existing system. We believe that the quality of the service should be the overriding determinant of the timetable under which Local People Meters should be introduced in New York and other markets."